Refrigerator water cooler



March 10, 1959 R. E. KING I 2,876,633

REFRIGERATOR WATER COOLER Filed April 9, 1957 F'lG.l

F'IG.2

INVENTOR. RALPH. E. KING H [5 ATTORNEY Uniwd 68 PatentO 2,876,633 REFRIGERATORWATER COOLER Ralph E. King, Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electn'c Company, a corporation of New York Application April 9, 1957, Serial No. 651,622

1 Claim. (Cl. 62-339) The present invention relates to a water cooler for refrigerators and is more particularly concerned with a water cooling arrangement for a refrigerator of the type in which the storage compartment of the refrigerator is cooled by positive circulation of air over an evaporator disposed outside that compartment.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved water cooler for household refrigerators.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved water cooling arrangement in which a water reservoir forms part of the duct system for the circulation of cooling air into and through a refrigerated compartment.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide in combination with a refrigerator of the type in which the storage compartment is refrigerated by means of air circulated over an evaporator disposed outside the compartment, a water cooler disposed in the storage compartment as part of the circulating air duct system.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed outwith particularity in the claim annexed to and forming part of this specification.

In carrying out the objects of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator having a food storage compartment, an evaporator disposed outside the compartment and means for circulating air over the evaporator and into the compartment. The air circulating means includes an air duct disposed within the compartment and a water jacket surrounding the duct to form a reservoir for the cooling and storage of water.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is an elevati-onal view, partly in section, illustrating an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a detailed view partly in section, of the modification of the invention shown in Fig. 1.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing there is shown a household refrigerator including a food storage compartment 1 and a frozen food compartment 2. These two compartments are separated generally by an insulated partition 3. An evaporator 4 surrounding the walls of the freezer compartment 2 is designed to maintain the contents of the freezer compartment at sub-freezing temperatures. Refrigerant is fed to the evaporator 4 from a refrigerant condensing unit (not shown).

The evaporator 4 is also employed to maintain the fresh food storage compartment 1 at the proper food preservation temperature and for this purpose there is provided means for circulating the air from the compartment 1 over the evaporator 4 and back into the compartment 1. In the modification of the invention illustrated in the drawing, the air circulating means comprises an air passageway 5 extending around the freezer compartment 2 between that compartment and the main cabinet Walls 6. One end or side of this passageway is 2,87 6,633 Patented Marpl'O, 1959 connected by a passage 7 extending through partition 3 to the storage compartment 1 adjacent one side wall of that compartment while the other end of the passageway 5 is connected by means of a-duct 8 to the compartment 1 adjacent another side wall of that compartment. Communicating with the fresh food compartment end of the passage 8 is a duct 9 extending upwardly along one corner of the compartment 1 and terminating short of the top of that compartment. A fan or blower 11 disposed at the upper end of the duct 9 and driven by a motor 12 is providedfor eflecting the circulation of the air from the compartment 1 into heat exchange relation with the evaporator 4 and back into compartment 1. More specifically, the fan causes air from the compartment 1 to flow downwardly through the aperture 7, through the passage 5 around the evaporator 4 and then upwardly to the passage 8 and duct 9 into the compartment 1.

It will be understood of course that the operation of the fan and the refrigerating condensing unit which supplies refrigerant to the evaporator 4 may be controlled by any suitable control device or devices. For example, the fan motor 12 and the motor driving the refrigerant condensing unit may both be under control of a temperature responsive switch means including a sensing element disposed in the fresh food storage compartment 1 and designed to maintain this compartment at the proper food storage temperatures.

In accordance with the present invention, the duct 9 which conducts the circulating air upwardly through the compartment 1 to a point remote from the inlet end of the passage 7 forms part of an improved water cooling arrangement for dispensing cold water. For this purpose the duct 9 is surrounded by a jacket 14 connected at its upper and lower ends 15 and 16 to the walls of the duct 9 to form a water reservoir or chamber 17 in heat exchange relationship with the cold air which passes through duct 9. Water is supplied to the reservoir 17 through a conduit 19 (Fig. 2). Water is discharged from the reservoir 17 through a discharge conduit 21 which in the modification shown extends forwardly along a side wall of the compartment and is connected to a water valve 22 disposed adjacent the forward portion of the cabinet adjacent the door 23.

From the above description, it will be seen that there has been provided in accordance with the present invention a water cooler which in effect forms part of the air circulating duct system and therefore does not materially decrease the amount of available storage space in the refrigerator storage compartment since it is positioned in a rear corner of the cabinet where it does not interfere with the revolving cabinet shelves 25. In addi' tion the invention provides a simple and inexpensive water cooler which is quickly and efficiently cooled by the circulating air stream from the evaporator 4 but which is not in direct contact with that evaporator so that there is no danger of water freezing within the water reservoir.

While there has been shown and described a specific embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular construction shown and described and it is intended by the appended claim to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A refrigerator cabinet comprising an insulated partition dividing said cabinet into an upper food storage compartment and a lower freezer compartment, said partition forming the top wall of said freezer compartment, an evaporator forming the side and bottom walls of said freezer compartment, means for circulating air from said food storage compartment over said evaporator 3 and-back'into said food storage compartment comprising walls defining an air passage around said evaporator outside said freezer compartment and having an inlet extending through said partition and communicating with said food storage compartment adjacent one side. wall of said food storage compartment and an outlet extending through said partition adjacent a second side wall of said food storage compartment, a duct in; said food storage compartment connected to and extending" upwardly from said passageway outlet along said second 10 side wall and terminating adjacent the top of said food storage compartment, a fan mounted on the upper end of said duct for effecting circulation of air from said food storage compartment over said evaporator and back into said food storage compartment, and a tubular jacket surrounding said duct within said food storage compartment and forming with said duct a fluid reservoir in said food storage compartment for the storage and cooling of water by the cooled air circulating through said duct.

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,506,843 Seller May 9, 1950 

